Sunday… It’s second summer! We are under a heat warning with a humidex of 39C in the forecast for today! Kirsten is coming to stay with Mom for a few nights so I’ll go home and chill out on the deck for a few days before I come back to spell Kirsten.
Things are going well here and Mom is continuing to improve although she’s still in a lot of pain… it’s most likely the cancer that they weren’t able to remove… radiation can’t come soon enough.
Mom was scared to leave the hospital but it turned out to be the best thing. It’s easier to keep on top of pain meds and just as importantly, water and food consumption. I’m getting her to eat each time she gets her meds, even in the middle of the night which I think is keeping her strength up better. It’s also much easier for me as everything is at hand. I do run up and down the stairs countless times in a day (great exercise for me!), and I have the counter in Mom’s bathroom littered with glasses, spoons, meds, and non-refrigerated foods to make my life a little easier. It takes about an hour every 4 hours to get her medicated, fed, and watered so it’s nice to have a proper resting place handy :-)
Yesterday Carm came by for a visit, bearing ingredients for a healthy lentil soup that I made for Mom to get some more calories and fibre into her. For having no onion, garlic, herbs, or spices, it didn’t taste too bad. I’ve slowly been increasing her food and liquid intake but it’s a hard slog. I probably haven’t mentioned that the cancer is in her mouth in her palate and jaw :-( which is why eating and drinking are so difficult. Mom is an outstanding patient and takes my bullying well.
Carm visited with Mom for a bit and then he and I deeked out to Tim Hortons for a bit of lunch - I scarfed down a breakfast sandwich, half an order of fries and a refreshing sparkling juice drink, and brought home Wendy’s Frostys for everyone (Mom ate a whole one!). I guess I was starving. Thankfully Dad is taking care of making our meals otherwise I might not eat at all!
Dad is doing okay but is very worried and it shows on his face. I feel bad that he is getting neglected while I’m here, but Mom is the main priority at the moment and I feel that I don’t want to leave her for too long. I’m sleeping in the spare room which is right across the hall from her so I can hear her if she needs something - she also has a bell, which she has only used once - so either she’s not demanding or I’m close enough that she doesn’t need it.
We watched ‘the Book Club’ last night which was pretty funny at times but it was a bit weird watching a movie about the ‘50 Shades of Grey’ book with my mother 😱
I feel so fortunate that I’ve been able to be here for her. Even though she’s not 100%, we are still enjoying our time together. 🥰 (or at least I’m enjoying the time with her! Maybe she’s sick of my nagging: ‘Mangia, mangia’, ‘eat, eat’ as my Italian mother-in-law would have said.) I think I’m a better nurse than I ever thought I would be.
I guess that’s enough babbling about our trials! Have a great day!
Awesome!
“Mom continuing to improve"
“second summer!”
“chowing down at Tim’s”
“seeing my honey”
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely lady your Mom looks like and she is even smiling...you are lovely, too! How fortunate she is to have you and Kirsten to be with her and help her recover. You don't say how extensive the cancer was, but hopefully the radiation or chemo will help banish any cancer that is still there. I have a friend that had cancer on her tongue and is just fine now.
Our weather is very hot, too, today and tomorrow. I imagine you are especially enjoying your pool to keep cool these days. Mark and I decided to take advantage of the AC where it is coolest in the basement to start sorting boxes of each of the kids, Mark and a few of mine. The song, 'We've only just begun...' came to me after we quit and decided to take out Thai food for dinner. At least it is a start. Karli is not blowing glass during this heat and Jason is planning to come for a few days in October, so they may start going through their stuff. What to do with all of it??? Now that they are in their 40s, they will enjoy reminiscing, even if they don't want to take much of the stuff. Neither of them have room to store stuff anyway.
Take care and be thankful for every day that you are with your Mom, especially at this critical time.😉💖
Marilyn